Repost: Operation RAMPART

[Matt Wiser]

Delta's first mission in the KTO..the attempted POW rescue at Kut:

Operation RAMPART: The Raid on Kut

From Military History Quarterly, Spring, 2011


One of the Third World War's most audacious Special Operations missions that was conducted by either side was the raid by a joint task unit of both Delta Force and U.S. Army Rangers on the Iraqi POW Processing Center near Kut, 65 miles southeast of Baghdad. While the mission failed in its primary objective of freeing American or other Coalition POWs, the mission succeeded in not only bringing back Iraqi prisoners for interrogation, but also saw the capture of documents and other intelligence materials, and not only gave a boost to the morale of the prisoners in Baghdad, but also saw that the Iraqis began to improve conditions in their POW prisons.

The Kut raid was thought out by Lt. Col. Brad Garrett, the commander of Delta Force's B Squadron. After his squadron received a notice to deploy to the Persian Gulf Theater, Garrett received a list of possible targets that were rated as “highly vulnerable” to attack by Special Operations Forces, and the Kut installation was high on the list. While Garrett had his own people in B Squadron initially tasked, before deploying, he received a reinforced Ranger company (C/3/75) with a heavy weapons platoon attached, and a team from “Funny Platoon”, Delta's all-female intelligence and recon outfit. The force, which would operate under SOCCENT (Special Operations Command-CENTCOM), deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina on the evening of April 28, 2005, and arrived at Al-Udaid Air Base, Qatar, early in the morning of April 30th.

Upon arrival at Al-Udaid, Colonel Garrett reported to Maj. Gen. Wayne Bennett, SOCCENT's commander, and briefed him on a tentative outline of the proposed mission. General Bennett immediately took Garrett to see not only the deputy CINC, Marine Lt. Gen. Mike Sanford, but General John Abazid, CINC-CENT. After a few minutes, General Abazid was sold on the operation, and detailed planning and intelligence collection began, while the Delta troopers and Rangers began mission training and rehearsals.

CENTCOM's own intelligence assets began gathering detailed imagery of the target, while SIGINT assets at both theater and the national level were also targeted on the installation. It was soon obvious that the Iraqis were using land lines for their telephone communications, and serious consideration was given to inserting half an A-Team from the 5th Special Forces Group to tap the land line and also to get eyes on the target. However, that proposal was scotched, as Colonel Garrett did not want any unusual air activity in the area to cause the Iraqis any concern about the facility. Another idea to get some eyes on the target centered on the Funny Platoon. Its troopers were trained to infiltrate and gather information on a target, and if necessary, act as guides during any assault on the target. While much of the Funny Platoon's activities remain classified in general, it is known that two of the troopers were Hispanic, and were not only fluent Arabic speakers, but were knowledgeable about the local culture, and could have easily blended in amongst the locals. However, that idea also died quickly, as again, Colonel Garrett wanted no air or helicopter activity to potentially alert the Iraqis that some kind of operation was being considered for the Kut area.

Still SIGINT did come through. Again, while the details remain classified, Colonel Garrett received detailed information about not only the facility and its staff, but on two occasions, when prisoners were due to arrive. Garrett's intelligence officer began collating the information, which the assault party would use when the decision to launch the mission was given. While the number of prisoners the raiders expected to rescue was not that large, even recovering one prisoner would be worth the effort, or as Capt. Mark Armistead, commander of the Ranger company, put it, “Just getting one means we live up to the Ranger Creed: 'Never leave a fallen comrade in the hands of the enemy'.”

Getting to the target was simple enough. The Air Force placed its in-theater Special Operations and Combat-Search and Rescue forces at the raiding party's disposal, and nearly all of those assets would be on the mission. To get Delta to the target and back, four HV-22A Pave Ospreys would carry B Squadron and the Funny Platoon, while the Rangers would fly on four MH-53J Pave Low helicopters. HC-130H Hercules would refuel the Ospreys and helicopters in-flight, while HH-60G Pave Hawks would be on standby to mount rescues should any of the raiding party go down in enemy territory. Finally, two AC-130H Spectre gunships would provide on-call fire support to the raiders.

Other air assets would also take part. The 563rd TFS would provide four F-15F “Weasel Eagles” for SAM-suppression, while a single EF-111B from the 388th ECS came along to jam Iraqi radars. Eight F-15Cs from the 128th TFS (Georgia ANG) would defend against any Iraqi fighters, a top priority as the POW Center was close to the Iraqi Air Force Bases at Kut al Haay and Ubyadah bin Al-Jarrah. In addition, the Navy contributed assets from Carrier Air Wing 5 aboard the carrier Kitty Hawk; four A-6F Intruders, four F/A-18E Super Hornets, two F-14D Tomcats, and a single EA-6B Prowler for additional ECM support and SAM-Suppression. All of the Navy strike aircraft would be loaded for Close Air Support, while the Tomcats would provide added muscle to the F-15s on MIGCAP. However, due to security concerns, the air assets would not be briefed on their part in the operation until just before launch, and even then, the aircrews involved, other than the SOF assets, were not told of the nature of the raid's target. Afterwards, when the crews were told of the target's identity, all were unanimous in their praise of the objective of the mission, and many looked forward to a similar mission in the future. After all, as Maj. Keith Langston of the 128th TFS put it, “Those were our friends in that compound. Anything we could do to help them, we'd fly through hell and back. If necessary, we'd do it again.”

Planning and rehearsals continued for Delta and the Rangers through the first week of May, with the assault force ready to move on twelve hours' notice. On the morning of 7 May, Colonel Garrett was informed that SIGINT had detected the presence of POWs in the Kut compound. He promptly notified General Bennett, who in turn informed General Abazid. A secure teleconference followed, with Colonel Garrett recommending that the mission go ahead based on the available information. General Bennett concurred with the recommendation, and General Abazid gave the formal execute order at 1000 that morning.

Colonel Garrett decided to brief the raiding force after arrival at King Khalid Military City in Saudi Arabia. When the raiders were informed of the nature of their mission, there was wild applause and cheering. Then they got down to business, with target assignments being issued to Delta and the Rangers. B Squadron was divided into four chalks, with Chalk 1 being landed right outside the compound, to quickly secure any prisoners inside the compound. Chalk 2 was to drop outside a building identified as the Commandant's office and quarters, while Chalk 3 would take a building to the east of the compound believed to be the interrogation center proper. Lastly, Chalk 4 would assault the guards' quarters. All of Delta's troopers were trained to kill anyone who held a weapon, and they would do so this night. The Funny Platoon troopers would accompany the assault force, with their objective as securing documents, videotapes, and any interrogators themselves. While bringing back prisoners for interrogation was a mission objective, it was not considered essential, and given the nature of the facility, no one would have any regrets if the raiders returned without any Iraqis for the J-2 shop to chat with.

While Delta assaulted the compound, C Company would handle perimeter security. The 1st Platoon would land right across from the compound, securing Highway 6 and establishing a roadblock. While that was happening, 2nd Platoon would land to the west, holding a local road that connected to Highway 6, and drop a bridge over a irrigation canal. The 3rd Platoon would drop to the east, and hold the eastern approach, again blocking a local road, while elements of the heavy weapons platoon, while contributing teams of machine gunners with .50 caliber machine guns to the other platoons, would similarly secure the northern side, also with a canal, but this canal had no crossings other than a very small foot bridge, and the Rangers would quickly blow this bridge.

After Delta called the objective clear, they would call in the Ospreys and Pave Lows for extraction. Air Force Pararescuemen would ride along on the Ospreys, ready to treat not only rescued prisoners, but any wounded raiders. After Delta and the prisoners had flown out, the Rangers would fall back on the compound and get aboard the MH-53s. All assault team leaders emphasized the need to get an accurate count, and make sure that no one was left behind.

To call in air support, Air Force Combat Controllers would accompany both Delta and the Rangers, and would handle any air support requests, either from the Navy, or from the AC-130s.

While Delta and the Rangers were being briefed that afternoon, along with the SOF aircrews, the Air Force and Navy aircrews who would handle MiGCAP and CAS weren't briefed until that evening. None were told exactly what the objective of the raid was, just in case any of them were shot down and captured.

Operation RAMPART began at 2100, when the Ospreys and Pave Lows launched from King Khalid, and ingressed into Iraq. The Air Force covering elements, including the AC-130s, also launched at that time, meeting up with the raiding force near the Euphrates River, skirting the Tallil AB defense area in the process. The Navy aircraft weren't launched from the carrier Kitty Hawk until 2300, and they flew a direct course to Kut, flying up the Tigris River. Commander Matt Wiser, who led the Navy's package, noted how quiet things were, with hardly any ground fire, although Marine aircraft and Navy planes from the carrier Nimitz were handling that night's Air Tasking Order. All of the Navy aircrew had friends who had likely passed through the compound on their way to Baghdad, and for them, it was more than business. Lieutenant Commander Kathy Evision, who led the F/A-18s on the mission, had a flight school classmate now sitting in a cell in Baghdad, and she said later, “It was revenge, pure and simple. Getting our friends out was one thing, getting some of those who tortured them was another.”

Despite the target being near the Iraqi Air Force Bases at Kut Al Haay and Ubydah Bin Al Jarrah, there was no reaction from either base defenses or from Iraqi aircraft as the F-15 MiGCAP and the F-15F Wild Weasels took up their stations. The Navy aircraft, who came close to the former base, had no reaction at all, as they approached the target and took up their orbits near the city of Kut proper.
On the ground near the compound, there was no reaction as the Ospreys closed in on their objective, and Colonel Garrett, riding in the lead Osprey with Chalk 1 and his command group, noted that surprise was complete. It was 0115.

The lead Osprey dropped Chalk 1 by fast rope right in front of the prison compound, and the Delta troopers immediately began engaging the duty guards. Chalks 2, 3, and 4 quickly followed, with the raiders proceeding to their assigned targets. One team from Chalk 2 burst into the Commandant's Office and quarters, and this Iraqi chose to draw his pistol instead of putting his hands up. It was the last thing he did, as two of the raiders shot him full of holes, while his deputy, also surprised by a second team from Chalk 2, also reached for a weapon, and was also disposed of.

Chalk 3's troopers hit the actual interrogation rooms, and two of the interrogators were caught in their offices/quarters, and were secured before they had time to reach for their weapons. The attached troopers from the Funny Platoon went in to grab all the intelligence materials they could, filling several trash bags with documents and videotapes as they did so. However, two other interrogators “weren't so smart”, as Colonel Garrett put it, and tried to grab their weapons as Delta burst into their offices/quarters. Both were promptly killed as a result, almost certainly by the Funny Platoon troopers, who were first in the interrogation rooms.

Meanwhile, Chalk 4 hit the guards' quarters, and since the Delta troopers didn't need to worry about taking anyone alive at this objective, they went in, in the words of one trooper, “like a Kansas tornado.” The guard force, about twenty Iraqis, was wiped out totally, but, “at least they died with weapons in their hands,” as another trooper put it.

As Delta hit the compound, C Company was put down by the MH-53s literally on top of their objectives. Each platoon quickly secured its assigned area, and with the sound of gunfire reverberating in the background, expected to have a counterattack develop. While that was happening, 2nd Platoon found the canal bridge, and began wiring it for demolition. The platoon leader called for an air strike on the road, to crater it and block any vehicle access, and Commander Wiser in his A-6 responded. His Bombardier-Navigator, Lt. Lucy Porter, expertly placed a 500-lb. laser-guided bomb west of the bridge, and just after that, the Rangers blew the bridge. At the same time, the weapons platoon Rangers blew the small foot bridge, denying easy access across both canals.

While that was going on, 1st and 3rd Platoons quickly secured their objectives, and prepared to meet any counterattack that came. One was not long in coming, for a nearby Fedayeen Saddam unit, camped nearby, noted the activity at the POW Center, and, as Capt. Armistead put it, “ran to the sound of the guns.” Another counterattack came from Kut itself, for a local Al-Quds militia unit also responded to the raid. The latter unit was mounted in trucks, and they drew both the attention of both Commander Evision's F/A-18s and a prowling AC-130. Evision's Hornets destroyed four troop-laden trucks with Maverick missiles, and the AC-130 then sprayed the remaining vehicles with 20-mm and 40-mm fire.

As for the attack faced by 1st Platoon, 1st Lt. Kyle Sager called in two of Commander Evision's Hornets, which laid down Rockeye CBUs on the advancing Fedayeen, killing and wounding many, and then the second AC-130 sprayed the area with 20-mm and 40-mm fire, breaking up the attack. However, small groups of Fedayeen continued to charge the Rangers, and not only drew heavy fire from the Rangers, but also the orbiting Intruders and Hornets, which put down ordnance as the Combat Controllers directed them in.

Colonel Garrett saw for himself: there were no prisoners in the compound or in the interrogation rooms. Kut was a dry hole, just like Son Tay had been back in 1970. But he was somewhat mollified when two of the Funny Platoon troopers hauled in two of the Center's interrogators, who were shocked to see that their captors were women. Other Delta troopers brought in several garbage bags full of documents, videotapes, and other intelligence that CENTCOM's J-2 would find worth reading. Garrett saw one of the interrogation rooms for himself, and then called “Objective Clear,” bringing in the Ospreys for extraction. The HV-22s, orbiting a couple miles away, came in and each Chalk got into its Osprey, with the Chalk leader counting his people in. Each Osprey lifted off and headed south, and the Rangers fell back on the compound, calling in the MH-53s. The Rangers were still taking fire, and both Hornets and Intruders came in, placing their laser bombs or Rockeyes on their targets. It was 0145, and as the last Rangers got into their helicopter, Capt. Armistead, the last Ranger on the chopper, told his Combat Controller, “Tell Spectre to level that compound.” And both Spectres turned and expended their remaining ammunition on the compound, blasting the buildings to rubble with 40-mm and 105-mm fire.

The raiding force headed south to Saudi Airspace, still covered by USAF and Navy aircraft. Colonel Garrett radioed CENTCOM HQ: “Mission Success 2, Negative Precious Cargo”, indicating that interrogators had been captured, but no prisoners found. The Delta troopers were disappointed in not accomplishing their primary mission, but all were hoping that some good might come out of the operation, and maybe, just maybe, a second chance would come. Meanwhile, the Funny Platoon troopers, along with Delta's intelligence officer, were already conducting impromptu questioning of the two Iraqi interrogators, and other troopers were examining captured documents. It was 0200 when the raiding force cleared Iraqi Airspace, and the Navy aircraft broke off and returned to the Kitty Hawk, landing around 0300. The assault force landed at King Khalid Military City around 0230, and upon arrival, Colonel Garrett and a small number of Delta troopers boarded a C-130 for Qatar, bringing the Iraqi prisoners and the intelligence haul with them.

General Abazid, though disappointed with no POWs being recovered, was still pleased. The mission's secondary objectives had been met, and the facility itself had been destroyed. The two Iraqi interrogators found themselves being interrogated, first by CENTCOM's intelligence people, followed by the CIA, MI-6, and both Kuwaiti and Saudi Intelligence. The haul of documents and videotapes, though disturbing to those who viewed the latter, was very useful, and copies forwarded to both Washington and London.

The Iraqi reaction, as postwar interviews with both Iraqi and Soviet officers found, was predictable. Saddam Hussein was furious, and ordered those responsible for Kut's defense “severely punished.” The local air-defense headquarters had been destroyed earlier in the war, but the commanders of both air bases, and the commanding general of Kut's garrison, the 37th Infantry Division, were summarily executed at his order. The commanders of the local Al-Quds Militia and the Fedayeen Saddam were likewise felt to be guilty, and both men were also executed. As for the Processing Center, the Iraqis did not rebuild the facility, instead sending all POWs straight to Baghdad after capture.

However, Colonel Garrett was proven right in another aspect: conditions at Iraq's Al-Rashid Military Prison, where the POWs were being held, did improve. Somewhat, but they did improve. As both senior officers, Lt. Col. Larry Fleming and Lt. Cmdr. Lisa Eichhorn discovered, the guards were “slightly less harsh,” and that two particularly obnoxious guards had suddenly stopped showing up for work. The food got somewhat better-though not in quality, but there was more of it, while the POWs were given more opportunities to bathe, and although there were no Red Cross visits (as the Soviets had been trying to convince the Iraqis to allow), a Red Cross delegate did deliver mail forms to the prison, and the prisoners were allowed to write home. Though Commander Eichhorn felt the best thing of all was that the prison staff delivered twin-sized mattresses to each cell, and all of the prisoners no longer slept on the floor. But none of the prisoners knew what had happened, or why, until a newly arrived prisoner, shot down two days after the raid, delivered the news about the raid on Kut.

Although Operation RAMPART failed in its primary mission of rescuing Coalition POWs, it did succeed in its secondary objectives, and both Delta and the former POWs consider it a partial success. In Colonel Fleming's words, “This was our Son Tay.” It failed to recover any prisoners, but did result in some improvement to their conditions, and gave them additional hope that someday, they'd be going home.

Delta's war in the Gulf wasn't over, far from it, but Operation RAMPART was the first of a number of Delta and Ranger operations in that theater. Though it wasn't the outright success its planners hoped, it was a good start, and both Delta and the Rangers were hoping until the end to repeat the operation, and this time, get prisoners out, and live up to the creed, “Never leave a fallen comrade behind.”